1. FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a portable surface treating apparatus comprising a shaft part with a handle part by means of which the apparatus can be guided on the surface to be cleaned and a frame structure having several rolls about which an endless conveyor belt for liquid and dirt particles is arranged.
2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Apparatuses of the type mentioned above are previously known, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,515, and are used for wet cleaning of, for instance, floor surfaces. These apparatuses also comprise a container for dispensing cleaning liquid to the surface and a container for collecting dirty liquid which is picked up from the surface. The belt consists of a liquid absorbing material conveying the dirty liquid from the surface to the last mentioned container in which the liquid is removed from the conveyor belt by a squeezing means. This type of apparatus has, however, the drawback that the belt abuts the surface by line contact, which means that the absorption capacity decreases since the belt is squeezed by means of the compression forces when resting against the surface. Moreover, the apparatus can be hard to handle and guide because the driving motion of the belt is accomplished by means of manual measurements from the operator, i.e. by friction engagement between the belt and the surface.
It is also previously known, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,246, to use similar surface treatment apparatuses driven by electric motors and comprising a roll having an exterior surface of liquid absorbing material. The roll is driven by the electric motor and conveys the dirty liquid from the surface to a collecting container. Also, this apparatus has the drawbacks that are linked to line contact with the surface and the result is that too much water remains on the surface, which means long drying periods after the treatment.
Further, there are floor scrubbing machines having endless belts that operate with area contact, see for instance DE 10025446 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,078, and WO 02/39869 A1. Since these devices solely are provided with means for squeezing out the liquid from the belt, there is a considerable risk that dirt particles which are conveyed by the belt are not removed from the belt together with the liquid, but instead are re-deposited on the floor surface.
The purpose of this invention is to achieve a portable surface treating apparatus that conveys liquid as well as dirt particles from the surface to the collecting container and that does not have the drawbacks mentioned above. The apparatus is simple to handle and easy to guide at the same time as it safeguards a high degree of liquid removal from the surface such that it gets dry quickly. This is achieved by means of a device having the characteristics mentioned in the claims.